Abstract

In this work, we present a design that improves signals produced by nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging by using optical pumping and a high-superconducting quantum interference device(SQUID) magnetometer. In our design for a NMRdetection system, a pickup coil is coupled to the spin procession of a nucleus; the input coil is coupled to a high-SQUID magnetometer; and the capacitor is connected in series to form a tank circuit resonating at the Larmor frequency of the nucleus in the measuring field. A signal-to-noise ratio gain of 2.67 over a conventional Faradaydetectioncoil was obtained with the high-SQUIDdetection system in a measuring magnetic field equaling 0.1128 mT, at which the central frequency was 3.66 kHz for nucleus. The improvement in the NMR signal for large-size, hyperpolarized coupled to a high- SQUID-based spectrometer in low magnetic fields at room temperature is significant compared to that without flux coupling. This result may be of interest given its potential for use in a low field imager.